I’ve added several cemeteries to Google Maps, yet I’m still surprised to see others doing the same: a cemetery will magically appear on the map where I hadn’t found a cemetery before. This was apparently the case for the Whealdon Family Cemetery in Ilwaco, WA. Since I was planning a day trip to the coast, I decided to check it out.
I found the cemetery on Findagrave. The entry showed only a couple photos dating from 2011, and a notation about its picket fence and the nearby water tanks. The place was clearly visible on Google Maps, near the intersection of Whealdon Street and Mary Ann Avenue NE, obviously named for Mary Ann Whealdon. Looking at the map, although the cemetery itself was almost certainly on private property, it appeared to be reachable from the nearby road.
On my day trip, I found the location easily — it’s hard to miss giant water tanks. I could tell where the cemetery should have been, but all I saw was blackberries. Finally I pulled off to the side of a driveway and caught a glimpse of white in the middle of the jungle. That must be the picket fence!
Fortunately there was a faint trail leading through the grass and weeds. It didn’t seem like anyone was around on a Monday morning to ask permission, so I figured I could make a quick visit without getting into too much trouble.
The trail led to a gate that was now broken and the sign seen on Findagrave was nowhere to be found. (It had been 13 years since that photo, so not surprising.) The sign had read, “Isaac and Mary Ann Grouille Whealdon by covered wagon to the Oregon Territory from Ipava, Illinois 1847.” (Here’s a picture of Mary Ann and Isaac Whealdon from Findagrave.)
The grass, weeds and blackberries had definitely taken over the cemetery. There are lots of reasons why a cemetery falls into disrepair, but I’m still sorry to see it happen. If I were honored to host someone’s resting place on my property, I would do what I could to keep it nice.
This was one of the smallest cemeteries I’ve ever seen. There are only six memorials listed on Findagrave.
When I retire, or when I have more time, I would love to spend more time outdoors cleaning up and restoring pioneer cemeteries. The Whealdon Family Cemetery would be a great weekend project. Despite the blackberries, it’s tiny enough to be manageable.
Stump and Lamb explores personal growth and meaning via travels to pioneer cemeteries of the West.
This post was originally published at michellerau.com.
michelle rau 
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